DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - As summer marches on, conditions have become drier in central Illinois.         

Officials said this July will go down as the fifth-driest in Springfield since 1879. Also, several counties have areas that are "abnormally dry", according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

WAND News caught up with Wren's Garden Gate and Studio owner Becky Newton. She said to keep a garden looking good, keep in mind that plants need an average of an inch of water a week.

"You don't want to just kind of be wetting the top of the soil,” she said. “Give your plants a really good drink and your garden plants a really good drink about once a week. You can always dig down a little bit to see if you've reached some soil depth. Because if it's just on top ... it's not getting to the roots."

Newton said plants will physically show when they’re starting to get dry.

"When they start to curl their leaves, it means they're dry and they're hot," she said. "They're kind of protecting the moisture that they have. It doesn't mean that they're necessarily too stressed yet. You kind of have to watch the plant color and really observe your garden so you know when things do need more water."

Whether it's a flower garden or vegetable garden, Newton said it’s important to give plants a little extra TLC in the drier parts of the year.

"You do need to be watering your vegetables and watering your flowers if you want them to survive this longer stretch without rain," said Newton.

Newton adds that some vegetables may be looking rough because they're out of season.

"This is the time of year where things start to come out of the garden and you're planting your fall garden and your fall crops,” shared Newton. “So if things are done, they're done. So, if it's something like a spring, maybe your broccoli doesn't look as great or your peas don't look as great. Those things come out and starting planting for fall now. Now is the time."

Newton explained that many homeowners are also dealing with brown lawns. She said not to worry about the grass appearance.

"It's fine to let your lawn go dormant,” she said. “It will come back when it starts raining again this fall."

Newton adds that if you'll be watering any plants, one inch of water a week is a good rule of thumb. She said the healthier the plants are, the easier it is for them to fight off soil-borne diseases and insects.